30 April, 2009

You learn so much when you have a baby. For example, you learn about true love, breastpumps, children's TV, and the real meaning of tired. You also learn just how much crap comes with a kid. And I'm not referring to the swings, baskets, tubs, soaps, carriers, diapers, and assorted paraphernalia. No, I am referring to the blankets, stuffed animals, photo albums, and infinite teeny tiny shoes that people buy you. Essentially, all the cute but useless stuff.

I've had no less than three friends or family members have their first babies in the last few months. Every single one of them has phoned me and said the same thing: "I never realized how crappy the presents I gave to new parents were until now." They fell victim to the pastel coloured treats in the department stores and gift shops. Now, as parents, they were suffocating under the gifts people brought over. And now, as new parents, they were realizing that the best presents were the edible kind. Screw the teddy bears, give me muffins!

We too went through this realization. After The Monster was born I started to get especially bitter at people who would come to meet the baby and maybe drop off "a little something" when that little something didn't come as food. New parents are exhausted and overwhelmed by their new state and that little creature who has joined the family. The last thing they need is a visitor who only wants to hold the baby while you get them tea.

I'm not telling you to not buy the cute little somethings, but don't you dare show up to visit without a frozen meal, some fresh muffins, or even some crackers and cheese from the grocery store. Don't you dare do it. If you want to be truly appreciated by your friends/family then make a few meals to freeze, cut up a fruit salad, and bake some muffins. If you can't cook, then hit a make and take meal place or somewhere with a nice ready-made meal counter.

New parents have no time to cook, a breastfeeding mom is always hungry, and quite often no one has ten minutes or two hands to eat, let alone prepare food. Keep all this in mind when choosing your gifts. All this applies in the first three months. Yes, I said three months, not three weeks.

The Monster has some lucky aunties. They've been the thankful recipients of her constant baking in the past few months. With two new nephews we've been baking a lot in order to keep my sister and sister-in-law in muffins and cookies. So now, when we go over to cuddle those babies and drink tea I can at least feed the mom. Oh, and pass on the drawing The Monster made, the photo album I found, and maybe the onesie I couldn't resist getting for that cute little guy.

28 April, 2009

With my return to work imminent I've been quilting up a storm and I've been trying to get the house in order. We still have no nanny, but the house is almost ready for a new person to be trying to get around. Seriously, why is it so hard to hire a nanny? We aren't crazy people. Maybe a little odd or uncoventional, but not crazy.

I digress.

One morning last week Smilosaurus and I were playing in her room while Hubby worked in the living room. While she was happily crawling around and exploring I started taking a few photos for my colour study (see the right sidebar there). I was struck by a grouping of books on her shelf. As I took a photo I also noticed the pile of books sitting on the floor, pulled off by the little one. It is my anal nature to want to organize things alphabetically. Alas, the girls aren't quite old enough to shelve things this way. Sing the Alphabet Song, but not put things in alphabetical order. What's an anal quilting mom to do? Organize by colour, obviously!

I tried this once with all of my own books and hated it. I was used to the conventional way and suddenly couldn't find anything. In the girl's room, however, I thought it would be perfect. And now I walk in and honestly I feel calmer. Order is nice, colour is even better. I did show my stash, right?

As you can see, we have a lot of books! There are some hand-me-downs and some books from Hubby and his sister's childhood. There are a lot of new books because I always ask for books as gifts when questioned. Plus I'm a sucker for sales on books and will buy more for us when I go in to buy for gifts. I should point out that there is also a pile on the nightstand and a basket in the living room where we rotate seasonally appropriate titles.

Could I pick a favourite? Aside from Curious George and The Three Little Pigs, The Monster is in love with this book.

I must admit, I am too. Rhythmic, urban, and unique it is fun to read. The book is Jazz Baby by Lisa Wheeler and R. Gregory Christie.

27 April, 2009

Those new babies sure mess with your schedule. I had every intention of posting this quilt in time for Amy's Quilt Festival, but I missed the deadline while busy cuddling my new nephew. So I'm out of the prize running, but still happy to share this quilt.

I actually finished this quilt a few months ago. And I started it almost 4 years ago. The second I finished the binding it was cuddled under. In fact, I think Hubby is under it nearly every night after I head to bed. And my mother-in-law spent a rough couple of nights on the couch and snuggled under over Easter weekend, but she would kill me if I shared that photo.

The design for this quilt came to me like many of my designs - when I'm bored at work. My notebook for work is filled with doodles and sketches of quilt ideas. I sat on this design, however, until I had a machine that could do the circles with machine applique. Hubby bought that machine for me for my 30th birthday. This was the first quilt I started with that machine (but not the first one finished)! The colours were chosen to match our living room, which is orange and cerulean blue.

The quilt was professional quilted because a) it is king-sized and b) I really wanted circles and my skills are not good enough for that. She did an amazing job on it with circles and concentric circles sprinkled across the quilt.

On the back I added a few more circles, including the label. The square in square fabric is Robert Kauffman. I pieced the back because, well, I like a pieced back. Rather than mimic the front I did some large square in square blocks.

Oh, and I should explain the name, Thirty and Three. Thirty because that's what birthday it was when Hubby gave me the machine that allowed the quilt. Three because it took a little more than three years to finish it.

This past week was the second one in the Kitchn's Kitchen Cure. Our task this week was to organize kitchen equipment. A rather large task in most cooks' kitchens. For me that meant two drawers of utensils, a drawer with pots and lids, a plastic storage container drawer, my baking supplies spread round the kitchen, and one random corner cupboard filled with extra spices, a colander, our turkey frier pieces, and a bunch of other crap.

The first step was to pitch any and all duplicates. After that I got rid of supplies I never use, like the old cookie sheets and pots that were broken or had no matching lid. These went into the pile for Goodwill.

My second step was to take anything out of the kitchen that isn't used on a regular basis - springform pans, lobster eating utensils, and the aforementioned turkey frier accoutrements. These all went to the cold storage section of the basement. That has to be another organizational task before we frame the basement, but not for now.

After the purge and the subsequent clean it came time to reorganize things. With PBS Kids on for The Monster and The Smilosaurus napping I took a step back to evaluate how I really use the kitchen. Truly, I have zones that I work in: baking/prep, clean-up, stove, and serving. Sure, the kitchen isn't designed this way and it takes some creative thinking, but my brain thinks it works.

The stove section includes the pots, cooking utensils, all our oils and spices on open shelves. Clean-up includes the sink and recently installed dishwasher, with dish storage right above. The serving section is the countertop below the dish and pantry storage. And by serving section I mean a space of uncluttered countertop closest to the table.

Finally, I created a baking station. We bought some freestanding cabinetry a few months back. Smilosaurus started crawling and was getting into everything on our open storage units. When the dishwasher went in we also lost some existing cabinetry. These new units were great - large, sturdy, and full of storage potential. But I just dumped stuff in them without really thinking about it. This exercise forced me to take a step back and think about how to use them most effectively.

It's no secret that I love to bake, as does The Monster. So I took one unit, filled it with all the baking utensils and pantry ingredients, and parked the little chair she stands on next to it. Now everything is in one spot. We have a large countertop space, only interrupted with the knife block, cutting board, and the Kitchen Aid. It is still my prep station, after all. But we can mix, roll, cut, and generally making a mess and it all stays confined. Hubby can be at the sink, Smilosaurus can crawl around, and none of us are falling on top of each other.

One of the changes I made was taking my baking pans from the tall cabinet by the sink. It always made sense to have them there, standing up. There was, however, this stupid hook thing hanging from under the counter. Pans were constantly getting caught on it. Yes, I could have taken it out, but that wasn't the only problem with the cupboard. There was just too much stuff it and it wasn't easy for The Monster to get things from there. Considering that our baking generally revolves around cookies and muffins, I needed a better option.

With the focused baking center I got that. I took one drawer and put in all the well-used baking supplies. And yes, the largest item - the cookie sheets are on top. Who wants to pull out all the pie plates, measuring cups, loaf pans, and spoons to get to the cookies sheets? So much easier now. Of course, after all this I need to giving Hubby an orientation.

Well, PBS Kids is nearly over and its time to bake. I think we are going to try oatmeal cookies with cranberries and the white chocolate chips I found while cleaning.

25 April, 2009

The latest addition to our family arrived on Wednesday. My sister had her first baby, a chubby little boy named Cain. I am so behind on the quilt! This is the start of it. The browns and yellows on the left are the start of the triangle blocks that will be the background. I started off thinking I would make a whole bunch of half-square triangles, but it didn't seem right. When your quilt is inspired by key lime pie the half-square triangles seemed odd. So I cut them into rectangles to make narrow, right-angle triangles. And the greens will become... wait for it... appliqued circles. Hey, it's for the key limes!

Yup, quilts inspired by food. It was only a matter of time.

In truth, it is also a reminder of a time as a family in Mexico at Christmas. My sister and I rekindled our relationship there and I thought this quilt would serve as a sweet reminder of us putting the past behind us and focusing on the future. Oh, and the baby's room is yellow.

23 April, 2009

I'm sparing your the disgustingness of what this photo could be. Just look at my overcooked, but nicely crimped crust. You've got to find something nice about it. Please?

It snowed again this week. Rain would have been welcome, but snow that we actually had to shovel? So not welcome at the end of April. In an attempt to remind myself of what indeed will return - summer - I pulled out one of the pies I made with the last of last summer's peaches. The promise of sunshine for breakfast was enough to get me through the snow. I should have stayed in bed, covers over my head, babies calling to me, and no tea in the pot.

The pie was horrible. Although I faithfully researched different ways to freeze pies before I even attempted things last August, this was an utter failure. A lot of information simply said to make the pie as you would, but not to cook it. A little extra flour or starch in the filling would capture the extra juices you would get when you bake it. So make your pie, freeze it, then bake it straight from the freezer. Let me now tell you that this was bad advice, very bad advice. There was so much liquid from the fruit that the top crust effectively poached. This is not an attractive way to cook a crust. I even drained out some of the liquid, to no avail. So my filling was nice, but the pie was both overcooked and undercooked.

I still managed to salvage some semblance of my summer dreams by scooping out the pie filling and eating it with yoghurt, but it wasn't the same. I guess I'll just have to wait until August.

My improv sampler is done - apologies for the crappy photo, Hubby was an unwilling partner as we photographed quilts yesterday. And the quilt ended up much larger than my brain was thinking it was going to be. Right now it is 76 inches square. I think I should quilt it before I start pitching, what do you think?

This was the first time I used a solid white for the sashing. I'm not sure why I resisted solids. I do like the texture you get from a nice white-on-white, but the solid makes the blocks pop that much more. Even better is that it is cheaper!

The colour scheme for this quilt came from one fabric alone. It is a sweet print with birds and trees on it. It actually was a scrap from a crib sheet that my mother-in-law made for my nephew, born almost two months ago. I pulled the rest of the fabrics, other than the white, from my stash. Each block contains that bird fabric as a way to tie it all together.

Now, if only we could pin down a nanny and I could get out to stores and start pitching. In the meantime, I'm plugging away on a baby quilt for the latest addition to the family, my nephew that was born today. More on that this weekend.

22 April, 2009

Gee, you would think I'm trying to get caught in some interesting searches.

It's Earth Day today. There are a million and one posts out there about eating organic, the 100-mile diet, plant based eating and so much more. For a dedicated foodie, reader, and magazine slut (yes, I am one of those too) none of it is particularly eye-opening for me. Interesting, but not mind-blowing. Lately, the peopleI'vemet are the ones that blow my mind, not what I read. I probably won't blow your mind here, but maybe a simple poem can. And when you take me out for beers I promise to blow you away, or at least get you drunk.

21 April, 2009

For awhile there this environmentalist was feeling a little jaded. Last summer I was gung-ho on green crafting, searching for gorgeous and environmentally friendly fabric, and actually using my scraps for something. In truth, all I've done are a few dyingexperiments and a spreadsheet on energy and water use associated with quilting. Beyond getting wrapped up in being a mom to two gorgeous babies, I simply got excited to quilt. Oh, and that spreadsheet is on the old, old computer currently in storage.

Having spent my entire professional career working on environmental issues (climate change, sustainability, and green energy) it kind of made me mad that it all seemed, well, trendy. It was eco-this and green-that. Sure, it was good to get so many of the issues in the public eye, but so much of it was greenwashing. I was just about to really burn out on it all when the economy went to pot and that news replaced anything environmental. Hmm, not sure what's better.

I did, however, go through my posts and was reminded that I promised a shot of garbage. Okay, the exact waste from the construction of one baby quilt, not garbage. This was absolutely everything leftover from the project. Useful or not, it's all here. The leftover spool was recycled. The thread and tiny bits of fabric were left outside for the squirrels as they built their nests. I sorted through all the fabric scraps into useable and non-usable scraps. There wasn't much in the way of batting scraps because I cut it from a much larger batt. And yes, I threw out the rest of it - I don't do much other stuff in the way of crafting to even use it.

Since my tirade a year ago I do have to say that I've changed a little. Maybe it's because I've done a lot of quilting in the last year? Maybe some of that trendiness started affecting me. Either way, I've been looking at my scraps with a keener eye. And I've become more aware of waste from quilting before I even produce it: I am even more careful when I cut, thinking about what the leftover pieces might be useful for (doll quilts!); and I cut all batts from one king size batt until their are no usable pieces (7 quilts from the last one!). Now, to get back to that dying.

20 April, 2009

If I wasn't so anxious to get to quilting while both the little ones are done I would figure out how to get all four of these photos as one image. Oh, and I could have cropped them a little. No big whoop. The truth is that I forgot to take photos of these blocks before I put the quilt top together. They are now in with the others, awaiting the border.

And yes, I am adding borders to this quilt. It's not normal for me and it isn't normal for most improvisational style quilts. But I am using this quilt as a teaching sample. Going in to traditional shops I thought I should try to pay homage to more traditional quilt construction. Perhaps that will make it less scary for people? Change is often feared, and improv style construction is new and different. But I'm hoping the sunny colours will draw people in and curiosity, at least, will get the better of most!

These blocks are true improvisations. I started with the scraps from the other blocks and just started sewing pieces together. As I got going I could see some different opportunities, so you see 4 very different blocks. All of them were made at the same time, with the same scraps. And such different results. I love them all. I'm really tempted to do an all strippy quilt now. Nothing but rows and rows of scrappy stripes. Hmm, this whole process is giving me so many more ideas.

Either I have to give up sleep or I need the girls to sleep a heck of a lot more! That being said, we are having a gorgeous day and we've already been to the park. A soccer game in front of the house is on the agenda for later. As long as I keep them away from my nose. Oh, did I mention I broke my nose last week? Fun times. Yeah, I'm off to sew and ignore everything else!

19 April, 2009

What does a tray of homemade gnocchi have to do with my confession as a condiment slut? It makes perfect sense to me, so let me try to explain.

Far more than spring cleaning, I am trying to get the house in order. Living on just one floor for the last 6 months has forced us to really evaluate what we need to live and what is the best way for 4 people and two dogs to live in 1000 square feet. In the winter. As my return to work looms I thought it was time to tackle a few things like the closets and the kitchen. Enter The Kitchn Cure. Fantastic, a very public way to force me to actually do the work. And to ensure I really stick to it I am promising to report it all here, once a week for the next 6 weeks.

Pantry before

It actually hasn't been that long since I cleaned out the fridge and the pantry - this week's assignment. When I am upset about something I clean. I think Hubby and I had a major domestic fueled my pregnancy hormones, or maybe it was nesting? So it's been a year... not too long. But this time I took a closer look at what was actually in there and filled a garbage can, the recycling bin, and a bag for the Foodbank.

It is no secret that I have a tendency to hoard condiments. Fancy mustards, barbecue sauce, fruity vinegars, jams, honey, hot sauce, and even salad dressings all have a special place in my heart, fridge, and pantry. When I travel my souvenirs are either cookbooks or food. As a thirtysomething married chick I don't bring home tropical diseases or naughty memories of strangers, I bring home Texas 1015 Onion Dressing and Jerk Sauce. And all that baggage was sitting in my house. Seriously, I had salad dressing in the fridge from a trip to Texas 9 years ago and I've moved it three times. I was carrying it around like an STD.

Pantry after

While I'm not sure I will cure myself of my condiment obsession, I was rather ruthless in culling the scores of sauces taking up space and not inspiring anything tasty. Just like the women's mags will tell you when cleaning your closet - if you haven't used it the last 6 months it's time for it to go. That seemed generous even, so I applied a two month rule. Surprisingly, I haven't used a lot of stuff in the last two months.

Gone was the hoisin sauce (I never know what to do with it), jerk sauce, three open bottles of three different barbecue sauces, about 4 bottles of salad dressing with just an inch left inside, cream of wheat, expired cans of sweetened condensed milk, and even a can of alligator meat I bought at my brother's wedding in New Orleans. His wedding was 9 years ago.

Fridge before

Our fridge is only 3 years old and Hubby has been complaining that it is too small. It is not a small fridge, it was just filled with condiments. I knew it was bad, but the pile of crap on the counter was ridiculous. Did I really need ten bottle of salad dressing when we Hubby only ever wants Golden Italian? Why do I have all that barbecue sauce when CattleBoyz is the best stuff on earth?

There was never any room for leftovers. And when they did make it in the fridge they always got lost and I would end up throwing out a bunch of food. Oh yeah, I forgot that cheese sauce was there. Damn, I could have made mac and cheese for dinner last night. Crap, I could have had that for lunch the other day. What a bloody waste.

Fridge After

Now there is a dedicated shelf for leftovers. And another one for all the blessed cottage cheese we go through (over 2 litres a week). Our three different kinds of milk actually can fit. Oh, and the fridge will close without any extra hip action. Most importantly, Hubby might actually be able to find something if he opens the fridge door. I think he fantasizes about a fridge that is about 6 inches deep and the length of the wall - that way everything is in the front row.

So this condiment slut decided to actually make use of her leftovers when culling the condiments. Easter dinner's mashed potatoes became gnocchi for dinner. And I pulled out some braised short ribs from the freezer to serve as the sauce. It's almost worth making extra potatoes just to make these. Light, little dumplings that Smilosaurus devoured and The Monster spat out. She's always hated potatoes. At least I know where the leftovers will be.

17 April, 2009

It's been said before here - I'm not a huge fan of wonky log cabins. But they are an excellent first step into improvisational quilting. It takes one of the oldest patterns/techniques and turns it on its head. No templates and no precision cutting.

Most of the time when you see a wonky log cabin they are set as individual blocks within a quilt. This makes for very bold, graphic designs. In my searching though, I would be curious to see what wonky log cabin blocks look like set in traditional log cabin settings. Hmm... I might yet tackle the log cabin again.

I won't pass on a tutorial, but I will send you to this one. I couldn't have said it better. The important thing to remember with wonky log cabins, really in any improvisational technique, is to still remember basic sewing principles. Use a consistent seam allowance (preferably 1/4 inch). Trim your excess fabrics so you aren't left with a mess of extra fabric on the back of the block. And square up your block at the end.

One final tip with these wonky log cabins: Try to make your final logs at least 3/4 inch wide (finished). Any narrower than that and you will have these teeny strips that get lost when you piece the blocks into a quilt.

We can thank Denyse Schmidt for providing the true inspiration for all of us on these wonky log cabins. But they are some amazing examples of these modern quilts all over the place. Some of my favourites can be found here, here, and here.

16 April, 2009

Yes, Easter is over. Passover too. And soon enough the week will be done. Stick a fork in me, because I am definitely done.

We always try to get through the beginning of April/Easter without any major calamities. We've had babies born at our wedding, our baby nearly arriving 9 weeks early, that baby then being hospitalized, asthma attacks, and various minor things like cars lighting on fire at this time of year. A few minor hiccups last week, but we were doing great and no hospital visits in sight. Then, on Monday morning I walked into a door. And broke my nose.

Thankfully it is no big deal and other than some swelling I don't look too beat up. There was no emergency room visit, so that's progress.

By the time 5 o'clock rolls around my face is throbbing and I just can't deal with making dinner. Today I attempted to deal with my overflowing fridge and get something together. The most I could muster was dealing with the leftover dyed eggs. Most of them were cracked from the manhandling The Monster gave them. And there were a lot! We could have been eating egg salad sandwiches all week. Instead I thought we could indulge on one of Hubby's favourites: deviled eggs.

Truth be told, Hubby loves himself a boiled egg, no matter what form it comes in. Dippy eggs with toast points. A half dozen hard boiled eggs as a post-hockey snack - yes, I said 6 eggs as a snack. And even the traditional potluck deviled egg with its sprinkling of unnecessary paprika. The most requested form however, is the curried deviled egg. And yes, we could eat these for dinner. Okay, we might make a salad to round out the meal. Maybe.

I make these for every barbeque we have. I made them for my brother- and sister-in-law's wedding. And my other brother-in-law asks for these almost more than he asks for pie.

For every iteration on the deviled egg theme there will be lovers and haters. My brother, for example, makes wasabi deviled eggs. I'm not that much of a fan. And I could take or leave the traditional variety too. But add some mango chutney and curry powder and you will see me hoovering a plate faster than anyone could sprinkle paprika. Maybe you'll hate these, but then I would think there is something wrong with you. And if deviled eggs aren't your thing, add a touch more mayo, chop up the whites, and make an egg salad sandwich.

Curried Deviled Eggs

Makes 12 servings

6 hard boiled eggs, sliced in half lengthwise

2 TBSP mayonnaise

1 TBSP mango chutney

1 tsp curry powder

Salt and Pepper

1. Scoop out the yolks and place in a bowl. Set aside the whites.

2. Mash the yolks together with the mayonnaise, chutney, and curry powder. Season to taste.

3. Spoon the yolk mixture back into the egg whites. Garnish with a slice of mango.

15 April, 2009

Welcome to free piecing. This technique is definitely about the process. And sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. In other words, don't look too closely at that 'sun' block in the photo.

It does help to plan when you are doing free piecing, or at least have an idea of the general shape you want to finish with - a house, a flower, a star. Quite often I actually make a sketch if my brain is baby addled and I can't figure out how the pieces should go together. (I should share my sketches one day - if a quilt block could be a stick figure then I am an expert at drawing that!)

Free piecing in this context is about the process of cutting and piecing. There are no templates and often no rulers when cutting. Sewing is just one piece to the next. You often start from the inside of the block and work out. You have the be creative and improvise along the way. For example, in the house block above I didn't cut a piece long enough to encompass the angle of the roof. That means the roof doesn't overhang the house that much and the roof is smaller than intended. Oh well. I compensated by adding another strip of the background fabric to make the block big enough. Problem solved.

This technique also works well in combination with freely cut applique pieces, like this artist.

10 April, 2009

The world is overrun with chocolate this week. Bunnies and eggs and little fake nests filled with plastic clippings. I, myself, am a sucker for Mini-Eggs. But I do loathe the fake chocolate that sometimes creeps its way in to our house by well-meaning family. Today we tasted chocolate in an entirely different league than even the best locally made bunny.

I took the girls on a date this morning. We used to call them adventures, but The Monster has been insistent about going on dates since Mama and Daddy have found a regular babysitter and a little free time.

"I'm a big girl, I can go on dates." It's enough to put fear in to the heart of any father of daughters. And she isn't even three.

Alas, I digress. So our adventure... er, date, was to Choklat, here in town. This is historically the worst week of the year for our family (but that would be a true digression to mention why). This year was milder, but really no exception to historical rule. I figured some emotional eating would be good for all of us.And after eating two of these between the three of us (yup, Smilosaurus had her share), plus a brownie, we were all feeling good. That is, until we got a flat tire and the nanny we'd hoped to hire turned us down. That's why I'm glad that I have some fresh truffles, some ridiculously expensive dark chocolate bars, and perhaps another couple of cupcakes hiding in the kitchen.

Choklat, owned and operated by jack of all trades Brad Churchill, is one of only two chocolatiers in Canada that actually makes their own chocolate. From the bean. Brad imports the raw beans in giant burlap sacks. If you peak through the doors at the back of the kitchen you can see them piled there, waiting to be roasted on site. The smell of chocolate in multiple forms is worth the visit itself. Then you see the menu.

Unlike any other chocolate shop, there isn't a storefront display of chocolates waiting to tempt you. There might be some chocolate dipped strawberries, the rich cupcakes, or some other baked goods, but there are no trays of chocolates distinguished by their swirls and gold dust. Pick up the diner style menu and choose your evil. Key lime truffle filling covered in dark chocolate and rolled in coconut? Espresso truffles with dark chocolate and rolled in cocoa nibs (those are for my mum-in-law visiting this weekend). Then buy a cupcake iced with whipped chocolate to watch Brad and his staff make your truffles right then and there. The only thing missing was a glass of cold milk.

When the new girl was struggling to make the truffles I ordered look right Brad told her to start over. Heck no, I said, I don't care what they look like! But he wouldn't have it and said the rejects would be kept for samples. I should have pushed for an extra sample right then and there.

One more mention has to be made of the cupcakes. At all the fancy, trendy cupcakes shops in nearly every major North American city the vast majority of cupcakes are okay cakes designed to carry a frivolous amount of frosting. And that frosting is almost always a buttercream piped in a pastel tower of sweetness. When the mood hits they can be just right. But when you want a real chocolate cupcake go to Choklat. I must admit that the cake part isn't perfect, it is a little dry. The frosting however is a simple whipped dark chocolate with a touch of cream and icing sugar. Not cloying, not bitter, and just a little bit creamy. Together with the cupcake it is perfection. The kind of perfection that makes you want another and you know you won't get sick or need a trip to the dentist. The kind of perfection that erases a crappy week. The kind of perfection that caps a perfect date.

There really is more to improvisational quilting that wonky log cabins. Of course, those are good too. But this technique, which I call chopsticks, is the first step in some fun designs.

Start with a square that is roughly the size you want your finished block to be. Or just start with a square in any size and see what happens. Cut some strips of other fabrics, slightly longer than your square.

Slice your square on any angle - through the middle, close to the side, or even lop off a corner. Don't throw away either piece. It is best to keep the pieces set-up as if you just cut them so you can remember how it all goes back together.

Pick up the piece on the left side and sew one of your strips to it, right sides together. Open and press.

Pick up the remaining piece of your square and sew it to the edge of the strip, as if you were sewing the original square back together (but with the strip in between). Open and press.

You can sew one strip or many. The process is the same every time. Start with the square, slice, re-sew, and press. Your strips can be parallel, on an skewed angle, or even perpendicular, like this quilt.

Important tips for this technique:

- Don't start with a square that is exactly the finished size you want because you will lose bits as you re-sew. Start larger and trim down.

- Try not to have strips less than 3/4 inch on the edges.

- Strongly contrasting fabrics work best, but you could get a subtle design with fabrics close in value or colour.

08 April, 2009

This basket has been and will become some more improvised blocks. In my bid for teaching supremacy - okay, just one teaching job to start - I've been putting together class notes and a class sample. After all, you can't pitch a class without showing what you'll do.

Generally I don't like samplers, but I did want to be able to demonstrate a few different improvisational techniques. By no means are they the only ways to tackle improv quilting, but they are a good way to break free from patterns. These techniques are also about the process, not necessarily a final design result. There is design and then there is improv. One step at a time for breaking the pattern addiction.

Over the next week I'll share with you the finished blocks and ultimately the finished quilt top. That is, if I can find the time to finish all of it. I've got 12 of the 16 blocks finished, but the last few days haven't been very productive with a sick Hubby and our anniversary. And now the baby is sick so I'm not sure what naptime will bring. We do what we can.

This has been a long winter for everyone. No matter how committed I am to eating local as much as possible I've been caving lately. I Just. Can't. Eat. Another. Apple. Not one. And heck, those aren't even really local to Calgary. But I've run out of frozen berries and peaches, there are no more saskatoons or rhubarb for baking, and I need the tang and heat that comes with something grown in the sun, relatively recently.

I'll admit to buying imported blueberries and watching out for the California spring fruits that actually look good - I draw the line at strawberries that look white inside. But my true weakness are the tropical fruit I find at More Than Mangos. I know, I've mentioned them before. It goes against the true nature of our local farmers' market to have them on location, but I'm happy he's there.

Last weekend I picked up this pretty, round fruit. Mostly orange with some deep green it actually reminded me of my childhood bedroom. I was given free reign to pick my colours when I was about 7 or 8 and I chose peach and dark green. But the taste of the Lulo was anything but childish.

Tart, but sweet. Almost like a lime curd, but a lot tangier. The pulp, scooped out, had the texture of a soft jelly. In truth, the whole thing reminded me of eating those sour lemon candies - the fruit jellies covered in sugar. I ate the flesh atop a bowl of my favourite vanilla yoghurt. It was just what I needed on a not quite spring day.

And the girls? The Monster gamely took a bit and refused any more. Smilosaurus would eat it with enough yoghurt on the spoon, but that's it. It may have reminded me of childhood and candy, but my daughters apparently have different tastes.

06 April, 2009

Some days you just need to stay in bed. Preferably snuggled under a quilt not attacked by a dog. Today is one of those days. Hubby was up all night in the bathroom, thus keeping me up. But gone are the days when we could just wallow in sickness and tiredness - toddlers and babies just don't get that. So Hubby is wallowing in bed, trying to sip ginger ale and the girls and I are having a pajama day. Oh, did I mention that it was our wedding anniversary?

Thankfully the damage on the quilt was not also done today. It was actually attacked by one of the dogs a little over 5 years ago, on a day far worse. I'd been reamed out at work, we were awaiting word from Hubby's parents about his dad's cancer surgery, it was the coldest day of the year, and the desk we picked up for my brother was damaged. You know, one of those days where just one more thing going wrong will make you cry tears that you fear will never end?

We were pulling up to the house and I asked Hubby where the dogs were. At the time they were generally outside dogs and couldn't fully be trusted in the house for long periods of time alone. He assured me that he cleaned our room, closed the closets, and left them on their beds sleeping. But I knew, I just knew, as I asked him, "But what about the quilt?" I raced in the house and at first glance everything seemed fine - dogs were spazzing at our arrival and everything appeared intact. Then Hubby found a crumple of wet batting in the dog bed, the intact dog bed. Sure enough, a quick investigation found a chunk missing from our quilt. Commence Cheryl losing it. I screamed, I punched the walls, I cried, and it took a few shots of vodka to settle my nerves.

When we arrived at the hospital the next morning we had a few more misadventures to share with my father-in-law. He was more than an optimist, he always chose to not let things get to him and he had the ability to get everyone around him do the same thing. Here we were whining about our ridiculous string of bad luck to a man diagnosed with terminal cancer and he was making us laugh. And then he told me to just make the chewed section part of the quilt's history. It wasn't ruined, this is just what happened one crappy day.

It's taken me over 5 years to fix this quilt, partially out of laziness, partially out of uncertainty on just how to do it, and partially because it serves as a vivid reminder of those precious days five years ago. Our anniversary was looming and the quilt was in desperate need of a wash, so it seemed time to tackle it.

Thankfully it was only this one section along the edge of the quilt that was chewed. I decided that it was small enough (about 8 inches total) that it wouldn't wreck the remaining edge of the quilt (it's a king-size). So I merely cut around the total chewed section in a relatively gradual curve, cut some bias binding, ripped out stitches of the old binding, and did my best to attach it all together. I don't generally use bias bindings, and never continuous bindings, so it was quite the challenge for me. It came out okay. I'm not proud of the final connection of the new and existing binding, but overall it looks decent.

The next step is to actually put another label on the quilt, identifying the history. This quilt was pieced together with blocks I got in a block shower from a whole bunch of on-line friends. At the time of our wedding I was heavily involved with the World Wide Quilting Page. They got together and sent us blocks to make a wedding quilt. Even Morgan enjoyed receiving all the blocks. And this quilt has always been our summer quilt ever since. One of these days the weather will warm up and we can retire the duvet for the summer and snuggle under this quilt again. Happy Anniversary.

Have you noticed a trend? My Monday posts for the past few weeks have included the ridiculous and the humourous. After the night/weekend we had with tummy troubles there is need to continue. Besides, it is our anniversary and for the last 3 years we've spent either our anniversary or Easter (or both) at the hospital. Today might just continue that trend. Hubby can't get out of bed and a trip to the hospital for fluids may be required if he doesn't get better. Happy Anniversary!

This picture does make me smile though. I snapped it last week. Again, I need to keep that girl attached to me when I move dinner making to the stove. I've mentioned the 'no hands on the cutting board' rule. And she knows not to touch Mama's knives. I guess I need to extend that to the knife block too. But don't the plastic knives from her play kitchen brighten things up a little?

02 April, 2009

For gawd's sake, winter just won't go away. There was more snow yesterday. Dreams of rhubarb, strawberries, and asparagus are futile, being months away from the reality. Might as well hunker down and cook up some more rib sticking meals.

Meatballs are a family favourite here. Smilosaurus is extending her meat love and will gladly devour at least 4 meatballs at a meal, in favour of the pasta. And surprisingly, The Monster has never been much of a fan of pasta, but will also pop meatballs into her mouth like they are candy. We are rather traditional, preferring our meatballs over spaghetti (or tagliatelle when there is no spaghetti) and doused with a thick tomato sauce. The odd time we will go for that odd standby, Waikiki Meatballs.

Over time I've tried numerous methods and recipes for making meatballs. Always time consuming and either greasy or burnt I struggled to get the technique right. Over time I gave up browning them on the stove. I always ended up with unevenly cooked meatsquares, not meatballs. Baking them in the oven without browning seemed obvious. But I hated that they would cook in their own grease. I highly doubt I am original in my idea, but all my friends seem suitably impressed. Now I cook them on a cooling rack set atop a cookie sheet. The grease drips down and I'm left with brown, yet tender meatballs.

Make sure you cover your cookie sheet with foil - it really saves on clean-up. And spray your cooling rack with cooking spray or brush with a bit of olive oil so the meatballs don't stick. Bake at high heat (400 degrees Celcius). The final size of your meatball will determine your cooking time. I usually make mine about an inch diameter and they cook in a little over 10 minutes.

When it comes to recipes, I'm afraid I don't have one of my own to share. This is the kind of thing that is a little of this and a little of that. Sometimes I use breadcrumbs, sometimes I use milk soaked bread cubes. Maybe I'll throw in a splash of balsamic, or some parmesan. One day I'll use bison, the next turkey. And when I'm feeling lazy I simply take half beef and half italian sausage. No other seasonings, but they are moist and tasty. Use your favourite, or check out some of these.

01 April, 2009

My first custom order of quilts has been delivered, and the recipient loves them. This was the first time I've sold work, so it was stressful and quite exciting. I know I love my quilts, but will other people? I now feel free to share with you where they went.

Christina at Bamboletta makes the most beautiful hand made dolls. Made from natural ingredients and customized for you and yours they are treasures. Ever since I found them I've been culling our own doll collection so that I can get down to just one of hers. The Monster will be getting one for her birthday this summer. Please check out her stuff, it is simply beautiful.

She is also starting a store for doll related items, and that's where my quilts are going. This opens the door for me as well. I've decided to also take some custom orders for doll and baby quilts (for now). I know I won't get rich doing this, but it is a nice compliment to things I love to do.